Zephyr Sun (right) with a nurse
The Take10 Program has long been an oasis of calm at Mount Sinai. The program—one of many support services provided by the Center for Spirituality and Health—was launched in 2015 at The Mount Sinai Hospital and now operates in six Mount Sinai hospitals. Volunteers take mobile carts to work areas around the hospitals, offering herbal and decaffeinated teas, healthy packaged snacks, and aromatherapy with lavender, rose, eucalyptus, and other scents. If the space permits, soft background music and dimmed lighting are also provided.
In 2023 alone, Take10 has served more than 24,000 staff members across the system. According to Maggie Keogh, Director of Take10, “The staff are so often excited and grateful when we come on the unit and they get a few minutes or more of stress relief.” Take10 is staffed by Mount Sinai chaplains and many volunteers, including two who serve the night shifts at The Mount Sinai Hospital—Zephyr Sun and Shaw X. Qin.
Shaw X. Qin (right)
Zephyr Sun is a Nephrology Bioinformatician at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who has been volunteering since July 2022. He was eager to gain a better understanding and broaden his experience of the clinical hospital. Maggie says he has been a steadfast, reliable volunteer, serving 44 units and more than 1,700 staff this year alone.
Zephyr realizes what he does in the evenings makes a difference. “I wanted to contribute more to my work community,” he says. “I especially respect the hard work of all the providers who work the night shift. The nurses I have met have shown such appreciation for me and my service; I truly feel the value of what I am doing.”
Shaw Qin is a more recent volunteer and is a pre-med student at Columbia University. He says he receives as much satisfaction in his work as he gives.
“It’s the people I work with and work for that keep me coming back to Mount Sinai twice a week from the Columbia campus,” he explains. “Maggie and her team have made me feel right at home. Every shift I have taken has been so rewarding; the warmth of the responses from doctors and nurses just keeps me wanting to do more.” He adds, “My experience at Mount Sinai and the Take10 program is adding a whole layer of meaning to my understanding of medical care, and I hope to keep learning and building a compassionate medical career in the future.”